Good with people? Interested in what makes them tick? Keen to make the world a better place? Consider a degree in psychology. It’s the perfect degree for people with strong interpersonal skills, are good listeners and have empathy.
The IIE Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree at The IIE’s Varsity College is a broad-based Arts degree that provides students with a choice of two of the following three core disciplines: English, Psychology and Communication Science. In the second year of study, you would need to select two of the core disciplines, and these two subject areas will be the focus of your third year of study. This means you will specialise in:
- English and Psychology
- Communication Science and Psychology, or
- English and Communication Science
Do you have to be a psychologist if you study psychology?
The short answer is “No”. An undergraduate degree with psychology as a major can, of course, provide you with the skills and tools needed to enter the field and eventually practice as a psychologist. If you wish to become a psychologist you will need to complete an Honours degree followed by a Master’s in psychology. You will also have to complete an accredited internship. If you wish to become a clinical psychologist, you will also have to do a year’s community service.
A bachelor’s degree is just the first step along the way.
There is also a host of exciting careers you can pursue with a psychology degree besides being a psychologist.
Whether you want to work in the fields of education, social work, or in the corporate world, a BA with psychology opens a multitude of doors.
In addition to educational therapy, educational psychology and social work within education, psychology graduates can also qualify as teachers, working in primary, secondary or tertiary level education. You may choose to work within social services instead and help support learning in the community at all ages, or within the prison sector.
This degree gives you insight into the fascinating field of human behaviour, but also teaches you to apply this knowledge in your personal life as well as in various professional contexts.
Which other career doors can a degree in psychology open?
- Research: Research, usually in an academic setting or an industry, requires performing tests and studying data to understand the science behind how our brains work and why we behave the way we do.
- Human Resources: The most successful businesses have a great HR department, and a degree in psychology would be of clear benefit to an employer. A knowledge of why and how humans think and behave gives deeper insight when you are tasked with addressing workplace concerns.
- Social Work: This field is extremely rewarding if your aim in life is to give back.
There are also opportunities in careers with a psychology degree that you might not have heard of. How about using your degree in psychology to consider the following careers:
- Art therapist: This involves using creativity to help people cope with trauma and psychological distress.
- Sports therapist: This involves improving athletic performance by helping with psychological aspects like motivation. It can also involve using sport to help mental health issues.
- Criminal psychologist: This involves things like assisting law enforcement, giving expert testimony in court, conducting child custody evaluations or investigating claims of child abuse.
- Career counsellor: This involves helping people to find the field of work they are best suited for, helping people change careers, or assisting those dealing with retrenchment or work stress.
How can a degree in psychology help your career?
- Having psychology as a major demonstrates a skillset which many employers find incredibly attractive in potential employees.
- Some employers prefer candidates with an undergraduate background in psychology because it provides the employee with a wealth of psychological knowledge.
- A psychology degree means you have the tools to examine and assess various people and situations, which is an asset in any job.
- You will be seen as someone who wants to make a difference in life. An attractive personality trait for any employee.
- If you add a business degree or diploma, you will be equipped with a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour, which will make you stand out in a crowd of applicants.
There are many institutions that offer psychology degrees, but while you look around consider Varsity College, an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE), SA’s largest, most accredited provider of private higher education provider.